Haunted by the Past
by NadiaDK
Summary: Life with two children is always challenging but someone from Lauren's past soon interrupts the daily life of the DiNozzo household. A part of the "Family Ties" series.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I am back with a new story in the 'Family Ties' series. This one takes place a little over two years after 'Stay With Me'.

I hope you like it - let me know what you think! :-)

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Andrew Johnson drove around the quiet Foxhall neighborhood on a Thursday night, stopping outside of a beautiful two-story house. In the driveway stood a big BMW family car as well as an old green Mustang.

All light was turned off in the house and it appeared that the owners were fast asleep. Andrew stayed for 10 minutes before he decided to drive home. He could always come back tomorrow, he thought as the car left the neighborhood.

* * *

Wailing filled the DiNozzo house in the middle of the night.

'Not again' groaned Lauren as she sat up in bed.

Tony sat up and looked at Lauren. 'It's okay, I'll get him' he said as he stood and made his way towards Liam's room.

Entering the room, he saw Liam standing in his crib, tears running down his cheeks with his arms stretched out, ready to be picked up.

'Hey buddy, is it your teeth's again?' asked Tony as he lifted Liam out of his crib, holding him against his chest.

Slowly Liam's cries began to decrease as Tony carried him into the bedroom so he could grab a shirt. 'Honey, do you know where the teething gel is?'

'Yes, it's in the medicine cabinet' Lauren answered tiredly. 'and there is a teething ring in the freezer.'

Tony made his way to the bathroom with a still crying Liam in his arms. He quickly grabbed the teething gel and made his way down to the kitchen.

Liam was now almost two and a half, and he was starting to get the last of his teeth. They had been slow on the way but the doctor's said it was normal for a premature child to grow slower than normal children but that he eventually would get into the way of it. It was however, a very painful experience and he was therefore, having trouble sleeping because he would wake up in pain.

Tony quickly applied the teething gel on Liam's gums before finding the teething ring in the freezer. The gel had the desired effect as his cries turned down to small sobs. Tony walked into the living room, settling down on the couch with Liam lying against his chest. He handed him the teething ring that Liam soon began to suck on. Grabbing the blanket, Tony covered them both as he sank into the couch.

When Kendall had gotten her teeth she had not experienced this much pain, so it was new to Tony and Lauren.

After Liam had appeared in their world, Kendall had been nothing but a loving and caring big sister. The fact that she wasn't a baby when he was born, but a four-year-old toddler could play a part in it. Lately however, she seemed to resent the extra attention Liam was getting from their parents and she was starting to act out. This new attitude was especially ticking off Tony, who lately had been extremely busy at work while still trying to spend as much time with his daughter as possible.

Friday morning Lauren woke up, finding Tony's side of the bed empty and cold. She slowly got dressed before she made her way to her daughter's room to wake her up for school. Together mother and daughter made their way down the stairs where they found father and son sound asleep on the couch.

'Tony' Lauren said as she tried to wake him. 'It's almost seven, you need to get ready for work.'

'Mmm' Tony mumbled as he came to, soon realizing where he was. 'I never made it back to bed did I?'

Lauren smiled, shaking her head as Liam woke up. He looked up at his mom.

'Mama' he said as he put out his arms to be picked up.

'Morning baby, I see you kept daddy up' Lauren said as she made her way into the kitchen before she placed Liam in his seat.

In the living room, Tony struggled to get up from the uncomfortable position he had slept for most of the night. Then he quickly began to get ready for work. This week had been extremely chaotic when the death of a Navy Lieutenant developed into a hostage situation. That had resulted in long hours of work and Tony was looking forward to finally be able to enjoy a quiet weekend with his family.

* * *

Gibbs checked his watch just as the elevator dinged and DiNozzo emerged.

'You're late DiNozzo' Gibbs said, not bothering to look up from the rapport he was reading.

Tony quickly dropped his backpack, took off the scarf Lauren had made him wear and turned on his computer. 'Sorry boss. I had a long night, won't happen again'

'Sure it will DiNozzo, that's the joy of having kids' Gibbs replied.

'So Tony, was it Liam who kept you up again?' asked Ellie from her desk.

Tony nodded. 'Yeah, he's getting the last of his teeth - it's painful. I woke up on the couch this morning, never made it to bed'

Both Ellie and Tim started to chuckle. 'I bet it's driving your all crazy' said Tim.

'Yeah it's hard, but it's hopefully over soon. Kendall is at least a heavy sleeper so she isn't affected by it' replied Tony.

'That's good' Ellie said. 'I can't wait to see them both tomorrow'

'Oh trust me they are excited as well. Kendall won't stop talking about how much she misses her Aunty Ellie and Abby' Tony said with a grin. 'And Liam keeps asking for his grandpa Gibbs'

'What about me?' McGee erupted.

'Yeah sure, you too McGoo' Tony laughed.

'Hey, enough small-talk!' Gibbs barked. 'If you want to leave early for the weekend you better finish those rapports'

'On it, boss!' all three of the agents replied in unison as they returned to their computers.

* * *

The team got off work early and Tony made his way home to his family. Friday night always consisted of dinner out for the DiNozzo family followed by a movie at home. Whenever Tony had to work late, either Lauren took the kids out to eat alone, or most of the time they stayed home and made homemade pizza. Either way, it always ended with the four of them stuffed together on the couch.

After a long week of work and school for Kendall, they enjoyed sitting together as a family, enjoying a meal that no one had to prepare.

'Daddy, come on!' Kendall yelled. 'We gotta go'

'I will be there soon, princess' Tony yelled back from the bedroom upstairs.

'Sweetie, he just got home. Let him change clothes first' Lauren said as she helped Liam put on his jacket and shoes.

'But mommy I'm hungry' Kendall said as she stood at the foot of the stairs looking for her dad.

Lauren couldn't help but laugh. Kendall was always hungry, something she had definitely inherited from her dad. Liam however, was still a picky eater, something he had been ever since he was born. His parents constantly struggled to stuff some food in him, whereas his sister ate whatever she could get near. When Liam was born he had been much smaller than children normally was and he was still very small of his age. However, the doctor's had reassured the worried parents, that he most likely would come after it as the years went. Until then, he still had to go to the hospital once a month to make sure he wasn't too underweight.

Finally, Kendall heard the door to the bedroom close and soon Tony made his way down the stairs.

When he reached the bottom he scooped Kendall up and began to tickle her. 'I hear someone is hungry, huh' Tony said as he kept tickling her.

Kendall began to laugh while she tried to get out of her father's arms. 'DADDY! Stoooop' she said as she kept on laughing.

'Oh, I'm sorry kiddo, I couldn't hear what you said because of all the noise you're making' Tony teased.

'S.. stoo' Kendall tried to say but she didn't seem to be able to form the right words.

'Hey, you two' Lauren interrupted with a smile on her face. 'We better get going if we want to have dinner tonight'

Tony stopped the tickling and gently placed Kendall on the floor. 'Then we better go, we wouldn't want to miss dinner, would we?' he said as he looked at his daughter.

'No!' Kendall said as she got her breathing back under control. 'Let's gooo' she said as she grabbed her father's hand.

* * *

After a short drive, the family found their table at the kid-friendly restaurant they usually went to. Not long after they arrived had they gotten their food.

Due to Liam's need of extra attention these past weeks, Kendall had begun to tease him and tonight was no excuse as she picked up fries from his plate, trying to make him angry.

'Kendall, stop it. You have your own fries' Tony said for the third time that evening.

Tony's words finally came through and Kendall sat back in her chair while Tony and Lauren exchanged looks.

'It's not fair!' Kendall suddenly said. 'It's always Liam-Liam-Liam. He gets everything and I get nothing' she added, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

'Hey Munchkin, that's not true' Tony said patiently. 'I'm taking you to your piano lesson tomorrow morning, and you and mommy spent all evening yesterday painting'

Tony could see his words had had the desiring effect even though Kendall still tried to look annoyed and angry.

Lauren looked at her husband. He was such a good father and he had an amazing way with the kids. He always knew the right thing to say whenever Kendall started to act up. Like any other child, Kendall had her faults, but she was mostly a very easygoing child. She was very headstrong, just like her mother and she knew just what she wanted. But at the same time, she had a very soft side and was the most loving child; always wanting to make sure people around her were loved.

After the family had finished eating, the waiter returned to clean the table.

'Do you know if that couple is married?' a newcomer waiter asked the other waiter as he came back from cleaning the table.

'Why do you care?' he asked the man.

'I just think I recognize the woman that's all' the waiter replied. 'Could you see if they wear wedding bands?'

The other waiter looked strange at him. 'Well they are sitting with two kids so I would assume they are married'

'Just check, please?'

The waiter grabbed the bill and returned to the table to deliver it while he briefly glanced at the woman's hand before he left them again. That new guy, Andrew Johnson was extremely weird, thought the waiter. He had only been with them for a week but he already seemed like he didn't belong there. When he returned to the serving station he noticed that Andrew Johnson was waiting for him.

'The woman was wearing a wedding band' he said before he went back to work.

Andrew Johnson began to stare at the man who sat next to Lauren. Then he looked at Lauren, her beautiful smile, her long brown hair and his pulse started to quicken. Lauren was his and he'd be damned if he would let anyone take her from him.

TBC

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope to be able to bring you chapter 2 at some point next week. I'm always looking for new ways to improve my stories, so feel free to let me know what you think and where I can improve.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I'm sorry it took so long to update - I hope you like this chapter! Feel free to leave a comment :-)

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Saturday rolled around in the DiNozzo household, where Tony stood in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

'Mmm, it smells good in here' said Lauren as she entered the kitchen.

Tony smiled. 'I'm making my famous pancakes di DiNozzo' Tony said in an Italian accent.

Lauren chuckled as she brought her arms around Tony and hugged him. 'I love your famous pancakes'

Tony turned around and smiled at her. 'Good thing I made plenty then' he said as he kissed her.

'Daddy when are we eating?' Kendall said as she appeared in the doorway, interrupting her parents.

Tony and Lauren both laughed. 'We are eating right now' Tony replied as he flipped the last pancake onto the plate.

'Can you get your brother while I start setting the table?' Lauren asked Kendall.

Kendall quickly disappeared into the living room before returning to the table, ready to dig into the big pile of pancakes.

Soon the whole family was set at the table eating.

'When are we going to grandpa's house?' Kendall asked with her mouth full of pancake.

As often as possible the team gets together one day on the weekend for dinner, where each member brings some food. Today the dinner is being held at Gibbs' house.

'Chew your food before talking, sweetie' Lauren told her daughter. 'I think we leave around 3 pm, you have to get to your piano lesson first'

'But mommy that is only for one hour' Kendall said. 'Can't we leave earlier?'

'Why don't we discuss it when we get home?' Tony said. 'We need to leave for your lesson soon'

Kendall nodded as she rose and began to get ready.

'I will call Gibbs when Kendall is having her lesson, I'm sure he would love it if we arrived early' Tony told Lauren.

'Yeah, I guess you're right' Lauren replied. 'He loves when Liam and Kendall are around'

* * *

In a small apartment lay Andrew Johnson with a huge smile on his face. He could still not get the image of Lauren out of his head. It had been great to see her again in the restaurant. The last time he had laid eyes on her was almost 20 years ago when they went to the same college in Boston.

Since his diagnosis, Andrew's sister had been the only one who understood him and who kept him on track, but when she passed away four months ago in a traffic accident, he had gone off on the wrong path. Now however, he was determined to get his life back on track and he had therefore decided to move to DC three months ago to start a new life - away from the prying eyes of those who knew him back in Boston.

As he lay in bed his thoughts returned to Lauren. She still looked just as beautiful as she did in college. He still wondered why they broke up; they were after all perfect together. But they would soon be able to resume their relationship he just had to get rid of that man she'd had dinner with last night. Andrew however, was not in any doubt. As soon as Lauren laid eyes on him again, she would drop however this guy was and run back to him, of that he was sure.

* * *

'Ms. Miller told me you really improved your playing today' said Tony as he glanced in the rear view mirror at his daughter as they made their way home.

Kendall smiled contentedly back at her dad. 'Yeah, we started on a new song' she told him.

'Dad? Can we maybe practice together tomorrow?' Kendall asked her dad.

Tony nodded. 'Of course we can, pumpkin' he told her with a smile. He loved that Kendall had taken his interest in the piano and he loved the times they spent together playing.

* * *

'Buddy, do you want to help me make dessert for tonight?' Lauren asked her son who sat at the table with his toy cars.

Liam nodded as he got down from the chair.

At two and a half, Liam wasn't much of a talker, he was a rather quiet boy, much less outspoken than his sister. He preferred physical activity whereas his sister enjoyed playing the piano and being creative through painting.

Lauren helped Liam up on a small stool. 'What do you say we make a chocolate cake?' Lauren asked Liam.

Liam nodded eagerly.

'Mama can I stir?' Liam asked in his quiet voice.

'Of course buddy' Lauren replied while kissing him on top of his head.

* * *

'Hi, grandpa!' Kendall yelled as she ran through the door of Gibbs' house.

'Hi sweetie' Gibbs said as he emerged from the kitchen.

Kendall ran into his arms to give him a hug. 'Did you come on your own?' Gibbs teased.

'No grandpa of course not, you are being silly.' Kendall said with a laugh just as Lauren walked into the house with the cake in her arms.

'Hi Gibbs' Lauren said as she placed the cake on the kitchen counter.

'Hi Lauren, thanks for bringing dessert' Gibbs said.

'Anytime!' replied Lauren as she took off her coat.

'Hi boss' Tony said as he entered the house with a sleeping Liam in his arms.

Gibbs looked at Liam. 'Looks like someone is tired'

Tony smiled. 'Yeah, he fell asleep in the car, he hasn't had his nap yet'

Lauren walked over and gently took Liam's jacket off. 'I'm just going to lay him down on the couch' Tony said.

'Let me find a blanket for him' Gibbs said as he walked up the stairs before returning with a blanket he gently covered Liam in.

'When are Aunty Abby and Ellie coming?' Kendall asked her grandpa.

'Well you did arrive early so it will be at least 3-4 hours' Gibbs told her.

Kendall groaned. 'But we were gonna color together'

'You will have plenty of time to do that once they arrive' Lauren told her.

'I have an idea' Gibbs said. 'Why don't we go to the playground once Liam wakes up?' Gibbs suggested.

'Yeah!' Kendall yelled as she began to walk towards her little brother who was sleeping on the couch.

'Hey, young lady' Tony said as he took her arm and held her back. 'We will wait until Liam wakes up on his own, ok?'

'But daddy that could take aaaages' Kendall replied as she tried to get out of his grip.

'I don't care how long it takes, we can go to the playground when he wakes up.' Tony repeated. 'He is not as old as you are yet, so he needs to take a nap just as you did when you were at his age'

'Ok but you promise we will go?' Kendall asked.

'I promise, princess' Tony told her.

* * *

After Liam woke up him, Kendall, Gibbs and their parents went to the playground down the street. Liam and Kendall were having a great time, running around laughing.

When the weather became cooler, the grownups decided it was time to get back to Gibbs' house.

What neither of them noticed when they left the playground, was the gray SUV that was parked down the street, keeping an eye on the family.

* * *

Not long after the family returned to Gibbs' house, did Ducky, McGee, Ellie and Abby arrive, much to Kendall's delight. She quickly managed to grab Abby and Ellie's hand and they were soon seated at the coffee table, immersed in a drawing.

Since Kendall had been a toddler, it had been clear that she had been awarded a huge talent for art and drawing. However, neither of her parents had any idea where that talent had come from - it was definitely not from any of them.

In the meantime, Tony, McGee and Ducky were seated at the dining table while Lauren and Gibbs prepared the last part of the dinner, with a little help from Liam.

* * *

'Wow that is a pretty drawing, sweetie' Lauren said as she looked down at Kendall's drawing.

'It sure is prettier than ours' Ellie said with a grin.

Lauren chuckled. 'Yeah, she is a talented little artist. But now the little artist needs to go wash her hands. Dinner is ready' she said as she drove her fingers through her hair.

'Finally!' Kendall exclaimed as she quickly got to her feet and ran down to the bathroom.

'She may look just like you, but her personality is all Tony' Abby laughed as the three women made their way to the table.

Lauren and Tony had been together for a little over 10 years now and from the first day; Tony's NCIS-family had welcomed her with open arms. At that time, Ellie Bishop wasn't on the team - Ziva was, but there had always been a little tension between Lauren and Ziva. Lauren had always had the feeling that Ziva had been a little jealous of her, so when she left Lauren hadn't minded. The moment Ellie arrived on the team they had bonded immediately, and on the same time, she had seen what a positive effect it had had on Tony.

'Can I have some more, please?' asked Kendall as she held her empty plate.

The adult all laughed as Lauren put more food on her plate. 'Here you go' she said.

'Thank you, mommy' Kendall said as she began to eat again.

'You need to remember to leave some space for dessert' Gibbs reminded her.

Kendall looked strangely at him. 'Grandpa, there is always room for dessert'

Tony laughed. 'That's my girl! Parenting done right' Tony joked.

Lauren looked over at Liam who sat in his highchair nipping at his food, his plate still half full.

'Buddy you need to eat a little more' Lauren told him as she ran her hand through her son's hair.

'I not hungry anymore' Liam said in a quiet voice.

Tony and Lauren exchanged worried looks. 'You barely ate anything, buddy' Tony said. 'Remember what the doctor said, you need to try to start eating more, ok?'

Liam nodded reluctantly as he slowly began to nip at his food again, while Lauren lovingly ran her hand up and down his back.

* * *

After dinner the adults were drinking coffee at the table, while Liam and Kendall lay on the couch, watching a movie.

'So Liam is still not eating right?' McGee asked Tony and Lauren.

They both shook their heads. 'No, it's always a struggle to stuff food into him' Lauren said. 'I really worry about him'

'I really don't think there is any reason to worry so much about him, my dear' Ducky said. 'As long as he still eats regularly and his doctor isn't too worried, there is no reason for you to be as well'

'I know, that's what I keep hearing, but it's not easy. Especially when I see him with the other kids his age in kindergarten, he is so much smaller than the rest of them' Lauren told, the worry clear in her voice.

'Honey, I'm sure he will grow up to be a big guy, don't worry' Tony told her.

'I'm a mom Tony, I am supposed to worry' she said.

Tony smiled. 'I know. I worry too, but he is seeing Dr. Wilson again in a couple of days'

'I know' Lauren replied. 'So Tim, how is it going with your new book?' Lauren said changing the subject.

* * *

'I think we better head home with these two' Tony said, referring to his two sleeping children as he stood up.

Tony gently lifted Kendall into his arms, trying not to wake her as Lauren carried Liam. They said their goodbyes to the team, who also began to gather their things to go home.

Once Liam and Kendall were buckled safely into their seats, the family made their way home.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I finally found the time to write a new chapter! It's not as long as I wanted it to be, but I just wanted to upload something and hopefully, I'll be able to post a new and longer chapter soon. Hope you like it!

* * *

Chapter 3

Sunday morning rolled around as Tony and Liam left the house for some much needed father-son time. Meanwhile, Lauren sat at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of tea while Kendall sat nearby in the family room, sketching with her new set of crayons Tony and Lauren had bought her a few days ago.

Lauren looked at the clock and put the paper down. 'Kendall' she said as she went into the family room. 'Do you want to help me with grocery shopping? After we could go to a small café and get some lunch'

Kendall nodded eagerly as she put down her crayon and got to her feet.

* * *

While Lauren and Kendall went to the mall, Tony and Liam were at the park. Even though Liam was only two and a half year old, he had already shown a big interest in sports and it was already clear for Tony that, if he wanted it, could get far in whatever sport he chose to pursue.

'Alright bud, good kick!' Tony praised his son as he kicked the soccer ball towards his father.

Tony kicked the ball back to him as Liam with a determined look tried to kick the ball back to his dad.

'Look daddy it went far' Liam exclaimed.

Tony ran to his son and high-fived him. 'It sure did buddy' he said proudly as he ruffled his hair.

* * *

'No Kendall, we've talked about this - no junk food' said Lauren.

'But mommy…' Kendall began.

'It's not up for discussion, it's not good for you' Lauren told her. 'Why don't you go chose what fruit you want?' she asked.

Kendall groaned. 'Fine' she said as she wandered away to the fruit section.

'Lauren? Is that you?' a voice asked.

Lauren turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of Andrew Johnson. She hadn't seen him since they graduated from college in Boston.

'Andrew?' she asked.

'Hi, how are you?' Andrew asked as he hugged her.

'I'm good, what about you? I didn't know you lived in DC' Lauren said, still a little shocked to meet someone from her past so unexpectedly.

'I moved here recently' he replied with a huge smile on his face.

'Hi honey' Lauren said as she spotted Kendall, who returned to the cart with a bag of fruit

Kendall looked suspiciously at the man who was talking with her mom.

'Sweetie this is an old friend, his name is Andrew, we went to school together' Lauren told her daughter, leaving out the fact that they had once been dating.

Lauren looked back up at Andrew. 'This is my daughter, Kendall' she introduced.

'Hi Kendall, nice to meet you' Andrew said as he looked back up at Lauren.

'Lauren, what do you say we get together one day, to catch up?' Andrew asked her.

Lauren hesitated while she studied him. He looked better than the last time she had seen him, he looked in control of himself and his emotions. What could possibly happen if she agreed to meet him for coffee, she thought as she gave him her business card.

'Maybe we can meet for coffee one day' she said as she gave him the card.

'I will look forward to it' Andrew replied with a smile.

* * *

After their trip to the mall, Lauren and Kendall returned home. Kendall quickly returned to the drawing she had been working on before they left.

While Kendall was busy in the family room, Lauren began to put the groceries away when she heard the front door open and the sound of Liam's running feet.

'Liam' called Tony from the hallway. 'Please take your shoes off' Tony tried to call after him, but Liam was already running into the kitchen.

'Mommy, mommy' Liam yelled. 'I kick ball far' he proudly told his mom.

Lauren smiled lovingly down at her son. 'Really? I bet you kicked it further than your daddy' Lauren said as she stroked his sweaty hair out of his eyes.

'Oh, he sure did' Tony told her as he gave his wife a kiss.

Lauren smiled before looking down Liam's pants and the floor. 'And he also managed to carry the whole soccer field with him home, I see' she said as she stood up.

'I'll go run him a bath' Tony told as he lifted Liam up, making him giggle.

Lauren smiled as she saw the two most important men in her life make their way up the stairs.

* * *

'Try one more time' Tony told Kendall as she began to play again.

In the meantime Lauren walked up behind Tony, bringing her arms around him.

'I did it!' Kendall exclaimed as she finished playing the song on the piano.

'Great job, princess' Tony praised her.

'That sounded really beautiful, sweetie' Lauren told her daughter before she turned her attention to Tony.

'You need to go get dressed, Gibbs will be here soon' Lauren told him.

Weeks ago Lauren and Tony had agreed to find time for the two of them to go out for dinner. After becoming parents they hadn't had much time to themselves, so today they had finally found the time to go out for dinner, while Gibbs would watch Kendall and Liam.

'Alright, I better listen to what mommy says, huh?' Tony told Kendall who grinned back at him.

'Yeah, you better listen, daddy. I will practice more and play it for grandpa when he comes' Kendall told her father.

* * *

'Hi, grandpa!' Kendall yelled as she heard the front door open.

'Hi pumpkin' Gibbs said as she lifted Kendall up into his arms. 'Ugh, you are getting too big' Gibbs told her as he sat her back down.

Kendall laughed. 'Grandpa guess what? Me and daddy just played the piano and I learned a new song, you want to hear it?' Kendall asked him excitedly.

'Of course! I would love to hear it' Gibbs told her just as Tony and Lauren walked into the hallway and said hello to Gibbs.

'We better get going if we want to make it in time for our reservation' Tony said.

'No you stay' Liam said from Tony's arms as he tightened his grip around his neck.

Lauren gently stroked Liam's back. 'Daddy and me will be back tonight, baby. And you will have so much fun with grandpa and Kendall' Lauren told her son whose lips began to quiver.

'Yeah Liam, grandpa told me we are making lasagna and watching a movie. You can choose the movie if you want to' Kendall told her brother.

'No I go with mommy and daddy' Liam replied as he held onto Tony's neck. Tony could feel his little body trembling and he felt his heart break a little.

'Hey buddy, mommy and daddy have to go now, ok' Tony said as Gibbs took a softly crying Liam from Tony's arms.

* * *

'What do you say we eat in front of the TV tonight and put on the movie?' Gibbs asked as he took the lasagna out of the oven.

'Yeah' Kendall said. 'Come Liam, we can go pick the movie' she told her brother as she took his hand.

After Tony and Lauren had left the house, Gibbs had spent some time trying to calm Liam down. Liam is a child who always seeks safety and he does not like to be separated from his parents. However, Gibbs is always the right person to call whenever Tony and Lauren go somewhere.

'Alright, dinner's ready' Gibbs said as he placed the food on the coffee table. 'Did you find a movie?'

Liam nodded. 'We watch this one' he said as he held up The Lion King.

'Let's hope your old grandpa knows how to use daddy's DVD-player then' Gibbs said as he began to start the DVD.

* * *

'Hi boss' Tony said as he and Lauren came home. 'The kids give you any problems?'

'Nope, they were good as always' Gibbs said as he rose from the couch. 'They are both asleep, I promised Liam you would kiss him goodnight when you came home'

'Of course, thanks for watching them Gibbs' Lauren said.

'Anytime' Gibbs replied as he went to get his shoes.

Tony followed him to the door. 'See you at work tomorrow, boss' Tony said to Gibbs.

'Don't be late' Gibbs said as he went out the door.

After checking on both kids, Lauren and Tony settled in bed for the night.

'Are you sure you are ok with me meeting him for coffee?' Lauren asked as she made herself comfortable in Tony's arms.

'Yeah why wouldn't I?' asked Tony. 'There is no reason for me to be worried, are there?'

'No, no of course not' Lauren reassured him.

During dinner, Lauren had told Tony about her running into Andrew. However, she hadn't told him everything about their relationship, and the fact that he had been mentally ill. After seeing Andrew at the mall, she was sure that he was doing much better than the last time she had seen him.

As Lauren curled up in Tony's arms, she realized once again how lucky and blessed she was to have Tony and their two children.

Even though Lauren had, what she felt was the perfect life; she couldn't help the feeling that something wasn't right. She quickly shrugged off the feeling and fell asleep, curled up against Tony.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

 **A/N** I apologies for the long, long wait. I have been really busy with work lately + I've been traveling for two months, so I haven't had the time or energy to sit down and write. I hope you are still sticking to this story, I hope I can post chapters more often.

But here is chapter 4. It's a little short but I just wanted to get something out - let me know what you think :-)

* * *

Monday rolled around much too quickly for anyone's liking. The weekend had been filled with quality time for the DiNozzo family and their extended NCIS family but now the daily life called. Monday was always the toughest day of the week - having to get everyone back to their routine and with two small kids, that wasn't always easy.

'I have to leave now if I want to make it in time for the meeting' Lauren told Tony, who stood in the kitchen, preparing lunchboxes for Kendall and Liam.

'Alright, have a good day honey, I love you' Tony said as he kissed Lauren goodbye.

Lauren kissed him back. 'I love you too, be safe' She said as she made her way over to the kitchen table, to kiss her kids goodbye.

'Alright kiddos, I have to leave for work now, so daddy will take you to school and daycare' Lauren told her kids, who were busy drawing while waiting for Tony to finish so they could leave for the day.

Liam quickly dropped his crayon and gave Lauren a hug. 'Bye mommy' he said while hugging her goodbye.

Lauren hugged him back and placed a kiss on his forehead. 'Bye buddy, have a good day in daycare - I'll pick you up later today, ok?' She said as Liam nodded and returned to his drawing.

He was about to pick up a blue crayon when he noticed it was gone. He looked towards his sister, who was busy using it on her paper.

'Endall give me it back!' Liam said as he tried to reach over the table. He took a hold of it, which succeeded in it making a big blue line across Kendall's drawing.

'Liam what are you doing! You ruined my drawing' Kendall said angrily to her brother who started to get tears in his eyes when he saw what he had done.

Lauren looked helplessly at her watch and then at Tony who had emerged from the kitchen.

'Go, I'll handle this' Tony said to her while Lauren looked thankfully at him before she left for work. Tony then looked down at his two kids.

'What is going on here?' He asked looking between Kendall and Liam.

Kendall spoke first. 'He ruined my drawing. It was nearly done and I was gonna give it to Aunty Abby but now it's ruined. Look!' She said as she held it up for her dad to see.

After looking at the drawing, Tony looked down at his son who sat with tears in his eyes. Liam was a very sensitive kid with whom you had to address gently. It usually didn't do any good to yell or be angry with him in a situation like this, so Tony talked to him gently. "Liam' he said as he placed his hands on each side of his face to get him to pay attention to what he was saying. 'Why did you draw on your sisters drawing?'

'I didn't mean to daddy' he said between small sobs. 'She took my pen I wanted it back'

'First of all, it is not only your pen, Kendall can also use it. And..' Liam's attention was quickly lost as he tried to get away from his father's lecture.

'Hey, Liam! Look at me.' Tony said as he once again tried to get his attention. 'I know you wanted your crayon back but you could have asked Kendall nicely'

'Yes Liam don't just take it from me' Kendall burst in.

Tony looked up at his daughter with a not-helping look. 'Kendall, why don't you go get ready for school while I talk to your brother? He looked at Kendall. 'Please?' He added as Kendall reluctantly went up the stairs to get her stuff.

Tony returned his attention to Liam. 'Buddy, I know you didn't mean to ruin Kendall's drawing but next time, ask her nicely before just taking anything from her or come get me or mommy, ok?'

Liam nodded. 'I sorry daddy' he told him.

Tony ruffled his hair. 'No harm done bud, just think about it next time'

Tony sighed as he rose. Yeah, Monday mornings with two kids sure were great.

* * *

Lauren had just returned to her office after her morning meeting with a big client. It had gone just according to the plan and Lauren was sure that she had just got a hold of a really important deal. She settled at her desk, determined to catch up on all of her e-mails when the phone started to ring.

'Lauren DiNozzo' she said as she picked up the phone.

'Lauren, hi.' Said a male voice in the phone. 'It's me, Andrew'

She had almost forgotten about her little encounter with her ex the other day.

'Andrew... hi' she answered.

'I was about to go grab some lunch and I just thought of you. Would you like to join me?' Andrew asked. Lauren swore she heard a hint of hope and excitement in his voice.

'Well...' Lauren hesitated. 'It really isn't such a good time today. I'm quite busy at work'

Andrew wasn't going to quit so easily. 'C'mon Laurie' he said using the nickname he had used for her back when they were dating. 'You have to eat lunch no matter what' he kept trying.

Lauren rolled her eyes at the nickname - she had always hated it. She had a feeling Andrew wouldn't give up until she agreed to see him, so she decided to give in.

'Alright, let's meet up in 30 minutes. But I really don't have long' she warned him.

'Great, I'll see you soon then' Andrew replied as he hung up.

Lauren sighed. She didn't know why, but she really dreaded seeing Andrew again. She couldn't put her finger on it but she had a weird feeling about this whole Andrew-thing.

* * *

The small café was packed with people when Lauren stepped in. She looked around the place, at last spotting Andrew sitting at a nearby table by the window. She reluctantly made her way towards him. He soon spotted her, rose from his chair and embraced her in a big welcoming hug.

'It's so good to see you again' Andrew said with a huge smile. 'Come sit' he said as he pointed to the table.

Soon they were both seated and Lauren sat waiting for Andrew to take the lead. It was, after all, him who wanted to see her.

'You look great' Andrew said, staring at Lauren.

'Thanks. Well... You look good to' she answered. 'How are you doing?'

'Oh, I'm doing alright. Especially now that I'm sitting here with you. It's really great seeing you' Andrew said with sparkling eyes.

Lauren frowned as they started talking about their respective works.

Suddenly Andrew reached out and took Lauren's hand in his as he looked intensely into her eyes.

'I really think we were destined to run into each other the other day'

Lauren gave him an awkward smile, pulling her hand away from his. She had a feeling Andrew put a little more into this meeting than she did.

'Look Andrew. I think you've got the wrong idea. I'm married' she told him.

'Well Lauren, why should that stop us?' He told her as if it was the most logical conclusion. 'I can easily wait for you while you fix everything at the home front'

'Fix everything? Andrew, I'm happily married and I have two kids' she said as she started to raise her voice. 'This should never have happened. I'm not interested in giving you any false hope, and I'm sorry if I have done anything to make you think that I want more with you' Lauren said as she began to rise from her chair.

'Lauren I know it, and so do you. We are meant to be together' he said as he started to get upset.

Lauren quickly gathered her stuff. She thought this had taken a bad turn too quickly. She had thought he was getting better, but she was clearly wrong - he wasn't well.

'I have to go now. Please don't try and contact me again' she said as she quickly left the café with Andrew staring at he as she left. If one thing was sure, it was that Andrew definitely wanted to see Lauren again - despite of her wishes.


End file.
